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Revelation. Even if you've never darkened a church door, it's likely that you've heard of this book and perhaps even have some vague concept of it's content. Or, to put that last phrase a little differently, you have some vague concept of what you think of it's content - Waring beasts, end times, that kind of thing. The problem is that peoples concepts of Revelation and what Revelation is actually about are often very different things. 

Why do I say that?  Because Revelation is actually a book about Jesus. Before it's anything else (if it's anything else?) it's a book that gives it's reader a revelation of Jesus.  That's a funny thing to type, but it needs to be underlined.  People often think the title refers to a "Revelation of future things" or something like that, but that's not at all correct.  "Revelation" is a revelation of Jesus.  It peels back the veil to heaven, and gives us a glimpse of what lies beyond our dimension.  As it does so, it tells us that what lies beyond us is Jesus.  That amidst all the empires of the world - past, present, future, spiritual, material, whatever - Jesus stands, reigns and rules as victorious king.  A king who will... make all things new.

Revelation is about Jesus. It's revealing to us Jesus. 

CityWides, the Really Real & Seven Visions

For the next many CityWides (till 2020?) we're going to be looking at Revelation. Along with giving us a vision of Jesus, Revelation also wants us to understand that what it's presenting is real.  Really real. That this picture of Jesus, standing victorious in his dimension, is not pretend or make believe. But it's real. To borrow a phrase from C.S. Lewis, it's telling us that what's through the wardrobe is every bit as real - even more real - then the screen you're reading this on.  

In our church we have this simple phrase: our vision is Jesus.  In Revelation we are given seven distinct visions of Jesus.  This is where we are going to focus our attention.  Considering the seven visions of Jesus in Revelation.  Together seeing him as the really real.